Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL) (NASDAQ:GOOG) revealed that from the searches made on its engine with regards to universities it has found some surprising insights. Based on the online search Google concludes that the most searched universities are different from those considered the top ones traditionally, according to a report from BBC. Google, also, informed that the online courses are preferred more in comparison with traditional campus-based universities.
Old, popular names not so popular now
University of Phoenix in the U.S. is the most searched university globally. This for-profit university offers several online courses and has a controversial recruitment record. This university was founded in 1970, and tops famous US academic institutions, including Harvard, Stanford and Columbia. Massachusetts Institute of Technology is the second-most searched university. This university was ranked as the best university in the world last week.
Open University of UK, a pioneer in distance learning, is the top European University, ahead of many ancient institutions. This university has secured the third position among the Google most-searched universities.
The most searched universities of UK are University College London and London School of Economics. Both these defeated the likes of Oxford and Cambridge universities of UK, which are said to be the oldest and most popular ones.
Two Indian universities among the top-10 are the University of Calicut at the fourth position followed by Anna University in Chennai. Five Indian institutions have successfully made their place among the top-20 most searched universities. Virginia-based Liberty University also appeared in the top 20.
Google warns of changing scenario
Google informs that universities can use the internet as a key marketplace for reaching out to the potential students. Traditional university search took over by search for online universities in 2013.
Citing an example of the UK higher education system, Google says that the search patterns show a globalised and fast changing market. UK Universities searched by people outside UK make up for 40% of the search results. Asia Pacific and Western Europe are the biggest international regions that search for UK universities.
In 2011, the most searched UK universities were mainly campus-based institutions including Oxford and Cambridge. In 2014, most of these campus universities were taken over by Coursera, the US-based provider of online courses.
“The growth that they’ve experienced has been phenomenal,” says the Google analysis. “Higher education institutions must decide whether to embrace and adapt or risk getting left behind.”